Freestanding Pet Barrier

ABSTRACT

A self-supporting pet barrier comprising a front panel and two side panels, each panel having floor-contacting surfaces preferably to which a friction reducing substance has been applied is disclosed. The front and side panels preferably are attached so that the side panels can be positioned from generally perpendicularly to the front panel in use to a folded position adjacent said front panel for storage or travel. A generally triangular stabilizing leg may protrude forward from the plane of the front panel and can be attached in either the side panel or front panel.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/280,790, entitled “Freestanding Pet Barrier”,filed on Nov. 16, 2005, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 toPatent Application Serial No. 2004-338416, entitled “Freestanding PetGate”, filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 24, 2004, underthe Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a temporary indoor barrier whichprevents pets from entering designated areas of the home.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When keeping pets indoor, there are often areas from which it is desiredto restrict access by pets such as, for example, a kitchen, entry area,or other room.

Indoor barriers or fences to prevent pets from entering such areas havebeen reported.

In general, an indoor fence has a mounting section that can be attachedto and detached from a pillar or wall. By attaching the mounting sectionto a pillar or wall that is opposite another pillar or wall, it ispossible to block the space between such pillars or walls with thefence. An indoor pet fence has been reported in Published UnexaminedJapanese Patent Application No. 2002-21376 that also has a gate that canbe opened and closed with one hand.

However, an indoor pet fence such as described in Japanese PatentApplication 2002-21376 is in contact with, and compressed between twowalls or pillars. Accordingly, without pillars or walls that supportcontact with the fence on both sides thereof, the fence cannot beinstalled. Therefore, the fence cannot be installed in such a locationas at the foot of a staircase, because of the absence of opposingpillars or walls and a problem remains as to how to secure such areasfrom pet entry.

In addition, because a fence is compressed between opposing walls orpillars it is not easy to remove it once it has been installed. However,it might be necessary to remove it to allow people to pass from one areato another. This operation is cumbersome.

As stated above, the indoor pet fence such as described in JapanesePatent Application 2002-21376 is cumbersome to attach or detach.

A self-supporting freestanding pet barrier is herein disclosed which hasfeatures that facilitate installation and removal, as well as thepassage of human traffic when desired

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, viewed from the front, of a freestandingpet barrier according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is also a perspective view, viewed from the front, of afreestanding pet barrier according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein the width of the front panel has been narrowed;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a freestanding pet barrieraccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a freestanding pet barrier according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a freestanding pet barrier according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a freestanding pet barrier according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a left side view of a freestanding pet barrier according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a right side view of a freestanding pet barrier according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of portion A which is circled in FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of portion B which is circled in FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory drawings that illustrates the operation of anembodiment;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of portion C which is circled in FIG. 11;and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of portion D which is circled in FIG. 11

FIG. 14 is an explanatory drawing that illustrates another example ofthe freestanding pet barrier according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory drawing that illustrates another example ofthe freestanding pet barrier according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detaileddescription, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.

One embodiment of a freestanding pet barrier according to the presentinvention comprises a front panel having two vertical members and sidepanels attached to each of said vertical members of said front panel. Ina preferred embodiment, the side panels are extended in the directionthat intersects with the front panel to enable a self-supportingstructure.

In examples in which the side panels are extended in the direction thatintersects with the front panel to enable a self-supporting structure,the front panel and the side panels are generally located in aconfiguration resembling the letter-U or the letter-H when viewed in aplan view. Furthermore, the front panel and the side panels may belocated in a configuration resembling the letter-U, and a support membermay extend outwardly from the front panel opposite to the direction ofthe side panels.

The front panel described above can extend and contract in the directionof the width. Specifically, to enable the front panel to extend andcontract, for example, the front panel comprises a plurality of panelswhich are positioned so that they overlap with each other in theanteroposterior direction and the total width of the panel can beadjusted by adjusting the length of the overlapping.

The side panels described above can be folded.

The freestanding pet barrier of the invention may comprise one or morestabilizing means as will be further described below that serve toenable the freestanding configuration or lock the desired configuration.

Furthermore, a freestanding pet barrier having the foldable side panelspreferably comprises a coupling section which rotatably couples the sidepanel with the front panel, and a stopper which restricts rotation ofthe side panel when the side panel is unfolded. A specific example ofthe stopper is a mechanism in which (when the side panel is unfolded) apin passes through both the side panel and the front panel via a thinhole provided on both the side panel and the front panel.

A freestanding pet barrier disclosed herein preferably has a frictionreducing member or substance provided on the bottom face of the frontpanel and the bottom face of the side panel to prevent those panels fromslipping.

Preferably, both the front panel and the side panels can bedisassembled. In this embodiment, because the front panel and the sidepanel can be separated from each other, it is possible to quicklydisassemble the freestanding pet barrier when it is stored, therebyenabling compact storage.

In a preferred embodiment, the front panel comprises a frame with wiresinstalled in the frame, and only vertical wires are installed in thecentral three-fifths portion of the front panel. This constructionprevents a pet from climbing onto or over the freestanding pet barrier,since it cannot boost itself by putting its feet on the vertical wires.As a result, there is no danger of the pet climbing over thefreestanding pet barrier.

In a preferred embodiment, the front panel described above is of theproper height so that a person can step over the panel. When a personapproaches, he or she can simply step over the front panel withoutneeding to open and close the gates, thereby providing convenience tothe user.

It is preferable in this embodiment that the front panel be set lessthan 65 cm high, and most preferably between 50 cm and 65 cm high inorder for a person to step over it.

In another embodiment, the front panel described above has a small gatebuilt into the front panel to allow a pet to pass through thefreestanding pet barrier.

The small gate enables a pet to pass through the installed freestandingpet barrier, thereby allowing or preventing a pet from passing throughto the other side of the freestanding pet barrier as necessary ordesired.

In yet another embodiment, the front panel described above has a gate toallow a person to open and close it when he or she passes through thegate.

In this embodiment, because the front panel has a gate which a personcan open and close when he or she goes through it, the person can passthrough the panel even when it is too high to step over, thereby makingit possible for a child or a physically impaired person who cannot stepover the panel to pass through the freestanding pet barrier.

In a most preferred embodiment, an indoor freestanding pet barrieraccording to the present invention comprises a front panel and sidepanels attached to both sides of the front panel, wherein the sidepanels are extended in the direction that intersects with the frontpanel to enable a self-supporting structure. Accordingly, theself-supporting structure allows the freestanding pet barrier to beinstalled in any location.

Furthermore, since side panels are provided, it is possible to prevent apet from entering from the direction of the sides of the front panel.That is, the side panels are not simply help the front panel to becomeself-supporting, but reliably prevent a pet from entering from thedirection of the sides of the front panel.

As shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, a freestanding pet barrier 1according to this embodiment comprises a front panel 3 and a pair ofside panels 5 and 7 which are attached to the sides of the front panel 3so that they can be folded and removed. Hereafter, each component willbe explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

The front panel 3 comprises two panels 3 a and 3 b. The basic structureof the panels 3 a and 3 b is the same, therefore, the panel 3 a will bedescribed below and the same reference number is assigned to theidentical portion of the panel 3 b.

The panel 3 a comprises a rectangular frame 9 which is of the properheight to control the entry of a pet and enable a person to step overit, and wires 11 installed in the frame (see FIG. 1 through FIG. 4). Itis preferable that the height of the panel be 65 cm or less and morepreferably set between 50 cm and 65 cm.

An extending section 9 a which extends laterally by the lengthequivalent to the thickness of the side panel 3 is provided on an end ofthe upper horizontal member of the frame 9 (see FIG. 1).

Wires 11 are mainly installed vertically, and a horizontal wire isinstalled in an upper location as well as in a lower location of theframe 9. That is, the central three-fifths portion of the front panel ismade up of only vertical wires. This prevents an indoor pet fromclimbing the freestanding pet barrier by obtaining a foothold on thewires.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, two panels 3 a and 3 b are located sothat they partially overlap in the anteroposterior direction. The totalwidth of the front panel can be adjusted by adjusting the length of theportion where the two panels 3 a and 3 b overlap in the anteroposteriordirection.

Two positioning insertion nuts 13 are provided in each end of the upperand lower horizontal members that constitute the frame 9 of theanteriorly located panel 3 a. See FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. Furthermore, aplurality of positioning holes 15 are provided in both the upper andlower horizontal members that constitute the frame 9 of the posteriorlylocated panel 3 b. An interval between a plurality of positioning holes15 provided in the posteriorly located panel 3 b is half of the intervalbetween the two positioning insertion nuts 13 provided in the anteriorlylocated panel 3 a.

The two panels 3 a and 3 b partially overlap, and so that thepositioning holes 15 of the posteriorly located panel 3 b, are alignedwith the insertion nuts 13 of the anteriorly located panel 3 a so that abolt 16 can pass through the insertion nuts 13 and the positioning holes15 from the rear of the panel 3 b, thereby making it possible tosecurely fix the two panels 3 a and 3 b in a prescribed location andadjust the width of the front panel 3 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 5). Providingthe two insertion nuts in the anteriorly located panel 3 a makes itpossible to securely couple the two panels. Furthermore, because theinterval between two insertion nuts 13 provided in the anteriorlylocated panel 3 a is of sufficient dimension, if a force in theanteroposterior direction is applied to the front panel 3, resistancewill increase. On the other hand, an interval between positioning holes15 provided in the posteriorly located panel 3 b is about half of theinterval between the insertion nuts 13 of the anteriorly located panel 3a, which makes it possible to make fine adjustments of the width.

The basic structure of the two side panels 5 and 7 that are attached tothe sides of the front panel 3 is the same, therefore, only the sidepanel 5 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 7, the side panel 5 comprises a nearly rectangularframe 17 and wires 19 that are installed in the frame 17. In the samemanner as the front panel 3, wires 19 are mainly installed vertically,and a horizontal wire is installed in an upper location as well as in alower location of the frame 17. That is, the central three-fifthsportion of the side panel 5 is made up of only vertical wires.

A generally triangular leg 21 is provided at the lower part of the sidepanel 5. The leg 21 protrudes forward from the front panel 3 when afreestanding pet barrier 1 is installed. Providing the leg 21 increasesstability when the indoor freestanding pet barrier 1 stands alone.

The side panel 5 is mounted to the front panel so that the side panel 5can be folded. Specifically, the side panel 5 and the front panel 3 aare rotatably connected by the hinges 25 that are provided at the upperand lower parts of the inner front-side vertical frame member of theside panel 5 and the pillar member 23 installed on the back side of thefront panel 3 a (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 10).

As shown in FIG. 3, hinges 25 include a first hinge 25 a that isattached to the side panel (see side panel 7) and a second hinge 25 bthat is attached to the front panel 3 a. Those hinges are provided attwo locations: the upper part and the lower part of each panel. Theupper first hinge 25 a has an axial pin and the lower first hinge 25 ahas a cylindrical portion. And, both upper and lower second hinges 25 bhave cylindrical portions.

In the hinges 25, by inserting the upper second hinge 25 b into theupper first hinge 25 a and by inserting axial pins 26 into the lowerfirst hinge 25 a and the cylindrical portion of the second hinges 25 b,the side panel 5 and the front panel 3 a can be rotatably connected.Furthermore, when removing the front panel from the side panel, firstthe axial pin 26 can be removed, and while lifting the front panel 3 a,the cylindrical portion of the second hinge 25 b can be removed from theaxial pin of the upper first hinge 25 a.

The pillar member 23 installed on the back side of the front panel 3 ais as thick as the front panel 3 b which is posteriorly located. And, asshown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 12, the rotation center of the hinges 25 islocated at the posterior side of the pillar member 23. As shown in FIG.11 and FIG. 12, this structure creates a clearance, which is equivalentto the thickness of the pillar member 23, between the side panel 5 andthe front panel 3 a when the side panel 5 is folded. The posteriorlylocated front panel 3 b can be inserted into the clearance, therebymaking the freestanding pet barrier compact when it is folded.

A pillar member is not provided on the side panel 7. As shown in FIGS.5, 10 and 13, the side panel 7 is rotatably mounted to the front panel 3b by the hinges 25 provided on the side panel 7 and the frame 9 of thefront panel 3 b.

When the pet freestanding pet barrier is folded, the two side panels 5and 7 form an almost flat plane as shown in the chain double-dotted linein FIG. 11, thereby facilitating the storage.

In one embodiment, when the freestanding pet barrier 1 is installed (seeFIG. 1), by inserting a pin 27 into the frame 17 of the side panels 5and 7 from the extending section 9 a of the frame 9 of the front panel3, it is possible to prevent the side panels 5 and 7 from rotating. Thatis, the pin 27 functions as a stopper according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

A freestanding pet barrier 1 according to this embodiment, which isstructured as stated above, can be installed at any indoor location in agenerally letter-H configuration as shown in FIG. 1. Since thefreestanding pet barrier 1 is self-supporting, it can be installed at alocation where there are no walls or pillars on two sides, such as atthe foot of a stair case. Furthermore, since side panels 5 and 7 areprovided, it is possible to prevent a pet from entering from thedirection of the sides of the front panel.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, a rubber friction increasing member 31is attached to the bottom surface of the front panels 3 a and 3 b andthe side panels 5 and 7. Therefore, the freestanding pet barrier whichis not fixed to the wall or pillar is stable and will not slide.

Furthermore, since the height of the freestanding pet barrier 1according to this embodiment is properly determined so that a person canstep over the freestanding pet barrier, a person can simply step overwhen he or she goes through it without needing to perform any operation.

The width of the front panel 3 can be narrowed according to aninstallation location by simply increasing the length of the overlappingportion where the anteriorly located front panel 3 a and the posteriorlylocated front panel 3 b overlap, as shown in FIG. 2.

Furthermore, when the freestanding pet barrier is stored, it can be madecompact by totally overlapping the front panels 3 a and 3 b, as shown inFIG. 11, and rotating the side panels 5 and 7 toward the front panel 3.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the front panels 3 a and 3 b and the sidepanels 5 and 7 can be separated from one another by simply removing thepins 26. Therefore, by disassembling the freestanding pet barrier, itcan be made compact during transportation. It is also easy to assemblethe pet fence.

As stated above, a freestanding pet barrier according to this embodimentmakes it easy for a person to step over the freestanding pet barrier andfacilitates the set-up of the freestanding pet barrier, and permits thefreestanding pet barrier to be made more compact when it is stored.

Moreover, in the above embodiment, both the front panel 3 and the sidepanels 5 and 7 comprise a frame and wires. However, the front panel 3and the side panels 5 and 7 can be made of wood or other board material.

Furthermore, the front panel is not intended to be limited to be a flatplane, and it can curve horizontally or vertically.

Moreover as a mechanism to adjust the width of the two front panels 3 aand 3 b, it is also possible to provide a long hole on either panel andfix the two panels at any position via a screw that passes through thelong hole.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 14, a small gate 41 may be provided on partof the front panel 3 a to allow a pet to pass through the panel.

Providing the small gate 41 enables a pet to pass through the installedfreestanding pet barrier, thereby allowing or preventing a pet frompassing through to the other side of the freestanding pet barrier asnecessary, which provides convenience for the pet owner.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, the front panel 51 may have a gatethat can be opened and closed when a person goes through it. The gatecan be opened by rotating the handle 53 in the direction indicated bythe arrow in the drawing.

Because the front panel has a gate which a person can open and closewhen he or she goes through, the person can pass through the panel evenwhen it is too high to step over, thereby making it possible for a childor a physically impaired person who cannot step over the front panel topass through the panel.

The particular embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative only, asthe invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalentmanners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of theteachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to thedetails of construction or design herein shown, other than as describedin the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particularembodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all suchvariations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention.

1. A self-supporting pet barrier, comprising: a front barrier whichcomprises two front barrier flanking vertical members, each of the frontbarrier flanking vertical members further comprising a side barrierreceiving portion; at least two side barriers, each side barriercomprising first and second side barrier flanking vertical members, eachof the first side barrier flanking vertical members further comprising afront barrier attaching portion; each of the at least two side barriers'first side barrier flanking vertical member's front barrier attachingportion attached to one of the front barrier's two front barrierflanking vertical members' side barrier receiving portion; a gate formedin the front barrier and attached thereto by at least one hinge and alock, wherein the gate is configured to rotate on the at least one hingeupon release of the lock so that a pet can pass through the gate; and afirst of the at least two side barriers configured to be extended in useat a first angle to the front barrier; a second of the at least two sidebarriers configured to be extended in use at a second angle to the frontbarrier; the at least two side barriers configured to be extended in usein an open configuration to stabilize the self-supporting pet barrierwithout securing the pet barrier to a structure external to the barrier.2. The self-supporting pet barrier according to claim 1, furthercomprising: at least one leg coupled to one of the front barrier and theat least two side barriers and configured to assist with maintainingsaid self-supporting pet barrier to stand upright in use but is notconfigured to obstruct a path of a house pet.
 3. The self-supporting petbarrier according to claim 2, wherein the at least one leg is coupled toone of the front barrier and the at least two side barriers at a thirdangle to the front barrier within 180° from a plane of the front barrierand opposite to another 180° from the plane of the front barrier thatincludes at least one of the first angle to the front barrier and thesecond angle to the front barrier.
 4. The self-supporting pet barrieraccording to claim 1, wherein the front barrier comprises a first frontbarrier and a second front barrier, the first front barrier comprisingone of the two front barrier flanking vertical members and a first frontbarrier flanking vertical member, the second front barrier comprisingthe other of the two front barrier flanking vertical members and asecond front barrier flanking vertical member, the first front barriercoupled to the second front barrier such that a distance between the twofront barrier flanking vertical members is adjustable.
 5. Theself-supporting pet barrier according to claim 1, wherein the frontbarrier further comprises a top horizontal member and a bottomhorizontal member, wherein the top horizontal member, the bottomhorizontal member, and the two front barrier flanking vertical membersdefine an open space interrupted by vertical members between the twoflanking vertical members with only the interrupting vertical members ina central three-fifths portion of the open space.
 6. The self-supportingpet barrier according to claim 5, wherein the open space is furtherinterrupted by horizontal members between the top horizontal member andthe bottom horizontal member in a bottom or top one-fifth of the openspace.
 7. The self-supporting pet barrier according to claim 6, whereinthe horizontal members and the vertical members are wires.
 8. Theself-supporting pet barrier according to claim 1 wherein said frontbarrier has a height of 65 cm or less.
 9. The self-supporting petbarrier according to claim 1 wherein the gate is configured to rotate onthe at least one hinge upon release of the lock to permit a person topass through the front barrier without having to step over theself-supporting pet barrier.
 10. A method for temporarily restrictingaccess by a pet to an indoor area, comprising the steps of providing afreestanding pet barrier comprising a front barrier) a gate formed inthe front barrier, and at least two side barriers, the side barriersrotatably attached to the front barrier and configured to be positionedin an open and freestanding configuration at an angle to the frontbarrier in use, the gate attached to the front barrier by at least onehinge and a lock, wherein the gate is configured to rotate on the atleast one hinge upon release of the lock so that a pet can pass throughthe gate.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the freestanding petbarrier further comprises at least one leg coupled to one of the frontbarrier and the at least two side barriers and configured to assist withmaintaining the freestanding pet barrier to stand upright in use but isnot configured to obstruct a path of a house pet.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the front barrier comprises a first front barrier anda second front barrier coupled to the first front barrier such that awidth between an end of the first front barrier and an end of the secondfront barrier is adjustable.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein atleast one of the front barrier and the at least two side barriers forman open space interrupted by vertical members with only the verticalmembers in a central three-fifths portion of the open space.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the open space if further interrupted byhorizontal members in a bottom or top one-fifth of the open space. 15.The method of claim 10, wherein the freestanding pet barrier has aheight of 65 cm or less.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the gate isconfigured to rotate on the at least one hinge upon release of the lockto permit a person to pass through the front barrier without having tostep over the freestanding pet barrier.
 17. A self-supporting petbarrier, comprising: a first front barrier comprising a first verticalflanking member, a second vertical flanking member, and an open spaceinterrupted by vertical members; a second front barrier comprising athird vertical flanking member, a fourth vertical flanking member, andan open space interrupted by vertical members; a first side barriercomprising an open space interrupted by vertical members, the first sidebarrier coupled to the first vertical flanking member of the first frontbarrier; a second side barrier comprising an open space interrupted byvertical members, the second side barrier coupled to the third verticalflanking member of the second front barrier; the second verticalflanking member of the first front barrier coupled to the second frontbarrier and the fourth vertical flanking member of the second frontbarrier coupled to the first front barrier such that a distance betweenthe first vertical flanking member of the first front barrier and thethird vertical flanking member of the second front barrier isadjustable; the first and the second front and side barriers configuredin an open configuration in use to stabilize the self-supporting petbarrier without securing the self-supporting pet barrier to a structureexternal to the self-supporting pet barrier.
 18. The self-supporting petbarrier according to claim 17, further comprising: at least one legcoupled to one of the first front barrier, the second front barrier, thefirst side barrier, and the second side barrier and configured to assistwith maintaining said self-supporting pet barrier to stand upright inuse but is not configured to obstruct a path of a house pet.
 19. Theself-supporting pet barrier according to claim 18, wherein the openspaces of the first and second front barriers and the first and secondside barriers is further interrupted by horizontal members in a bottomor top one-fifth of the open space.
 20. The self-supporting pet barrieraccording to claim 18, wherein at least one of the first front barrier,the second front barrier, the first side barrier, and the second sidebarrier have a height of 65 cm or less.